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Wednesday

"The new circumstances in which we are placed call for new words, new phrases, and for the transfer of old words to new objects"- Thomas Jefferson This year’s been difficult for India. From economic policy paralysis, corruption of a scale unheard of earlier and a rapidly
depreciating Rupee, it is not a very happy situation. Nonetheless, given the country’s strong institutional
framework, its influence in South Asia, commitment to a democratic tradition,
size of economy and size of population, attempts to engage with India (politically, socially,
culturally or for business) will continue. Besides, India underwent a lot of changes in the last two decades and is a very different country today. For an effective communications
outreach into India, remember to factor in the following:

III. TONALITY: Aspiration is what it
should represent. Irrespective of geography or socio economic standing. Here I would
like to draw the approach of Harvard Professor Dominique Moisi’s much criticized
work - “The Geopolitics of Emotion” - where he maps the world according to three
primary emotions – hope, fear and humiliation.

IV. MEDIUM: Do not forget alternative
media, the ubiquitous mobile phone and social co-creation. The mainstream press
and journalists remain important but the monopoly over production of viewpoints
is broken and so is the monopoly over the medium. Also remember access to technology and media in India is often ‘informal’ – people without the means or know-how still manage to access through friends, family, community groups etc. See this excellent slideshare presentation below by
Mohit Chhabra: